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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bat — the animal
  3. tube — a container
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. tube — the underground
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. drill — army training
  9. wake — a trail
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bank — for money
  12. root — the cause
  13. bank — for money
  14. squash — the sport
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. root — of a word
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. wound — an injury
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. root — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com